Blog Archive

Monday, July 14, 2014

4th of July 2014: VRV

some quality time drinking wine, hanging out with the family and enjoying nature while

camping and relaxing. Thankfully, I got to take off work on Wednesday and have a nice

five day weekend. It really is worth it because the drive alone eats up half a day.

We arrived Wednesday evening and Aunt Nancy and Uncle Dan were outside on the

brand new deck outside of the tasting room having a glass of wine waiting for us. She

had prepared this delicious bacon wrapped chicken in an apple BBQ sauce in the

crockpot and was awaiting our arrival for dinner. We were both so hungry and it was

very tasty. So tasty, we asked for the recipe!

Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Cup BBQ Sauce

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/8 Cup Lemon Juice (Fresh or from a Bottle)

5 Small Gala Apples (Peeled and chopped)

8 Slices of Bacon

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine the BBQ Sauce, Brown Sugar, Lemon Juice and Apples

(peeled and chopped).

Wrap each chicken breast with two slices of bacon and place in a greased

slow cooker.

Pour BBQ Sauce/Apple mixture over the chicken and cook on low for 6-8 hours

or until chicken is done.

After dinner, we headed to good ole American Walmart to pick up some

final camping gear. That evening we had planned to camp out along

Lake Champlain. The evening was cooling off nicely but still fairly humid.

However, we thought, when in West Chazy. Aunt Nancy had found this

great little spot located directly on the waterfront for us through a friend.

They were more than willing to let us crash for the night or four and we

couldn't have been more thankful. We set up camp and except for Lucky

panting all night, everything else was fine! I even woke up to the most

beautiful sunrise!

The days are all kind of a blur from there. I know we stopped by the school to
say hello to Nan. We also went and got breakfast at the Happy Pike. Actually, it
turned out to be lunch. But, it was still good! We also spent a lot of time relaxing
the next day. We ran into town for some groceries for our family cookout that
evening. We also stopped by an old family friends camp down on Lake Champlain
to check it out. It was pretty awesome. We both agreed we would love to clean it
up and come stay with friends for a long weekend.

Later that night Kim, Lee, Deb, Herb, Nan, Dan, Leif and I gathered on the front

porch of the vineyard while it poured to have a nice little wet family BBQ. Uncle

Dan grilled the dogs and burgers while Kim brought over this amazing bean salad.

I finished us off with strawberry shortcake. It was delicious! That night, we slept

indoors with all the rain!

The next morning we were all pretty lazy. It was the 4th of July and we were in no mood

to do anything. We spent the day relaxing. Leif picked up the tent from the lake and set it

up in the vineyard to dry out. He also practiced with his bow in the back fields. We also

made it to McSweeny's and picked up Michigans for everyone. I'm pretty sure he loved

them as much as the rest of us. I guess he's a keeper! That evening we visited Sam's with

Deb to pick up some items I wanted. We also picked up some new umbrellas for Nan

and Dan's new deck to thank them for us staying with them.

We also picked up some pre-made pizzas for dinner. Leif took the toppings completely

off of the pizzas, added more cheese and seasoning and added the toppings back on

before popping them into the oven. We sat around the large table drinking wine and

eating pizza for the rest of the night. Unfortunately the fresh air kicked our butts and

we were in bed in the tent before any of the fireworks. We both slept great that night.

The next morning the whole family went to the Happy Pike for breakfast. Nan and Dan

drove us around Point au Roche to show us the hiking trails for later with the dogs. We

spent a good two hours hiking and taking in the beautiful views on Lake Champlain.

It really is quite beautifully calming up there. Plus the dogs loved it! Lucky even got

to go for a little swim in fresh water for a change!

When we got back, Oliver was done. He spent the rest of the day napping and hiding.

We on the other hand had no chance to rest at all! We arrived back to a fully packed

vineyard. There was live music and about 30 people. Nan and Dan needed all the help

they could get. We went right to making meat and cheese platters to helping guests with

their tastings. Around five, the guests cleared out and we had time to relax for a little bit.

That evening, Nan, Dan, Leif and I went out to dinner in Plattsburgh at Anthony's. From

the fresh warm bread to the delicious wine and desserts, the dinner was wonderful. Leif

was in the mood for some sort of game meat. I guess the woods were rubbing off.

We were all exhausted after a long day and really enjoyed being able to sit down and

have a wonderful meal not on paper plates!

The next morning, we packed up the car, Leif had time to take a scooter ride,

and possibly a four wheeler ride, and headed back to big bad New York City.

It was a pretty easy drive with little to no traffic. Somehow we managed to enter

NYC without any traffic at all which is near to impossible. We were both

exhausted after our relaxing weekend.... I'm not sure how that happens, but its true.

Thank you family for such a welcoming and wonderful weekend! Love you all!